NFH drumming - need advice!

kimbyanne

My parents have a total NFH (neighbour from hell). He is intimidating, rude and a complete idiot. He is the sort of person that thinks he can do whatever he wants and if you dare to report him, he makes things unbearable.

He lives alone in a HA house, the house is a terraced house and is joined to my parents.

He plays drums, badly I will add, at varying times of the day REALLY loudly. He also has all the windows open for "maximum effect". When it first started my parents spoke to the HA to ask if he was allowed to play drums, if so what hours etc - just to find out. They were told he is not allowed to play drums at all in a HA house and that if it got bad and someone complained, they would take action to force him to stop / remove the drums which seemed a bit extreme as a first option but that is what we were told.

Other neighbours with small children have reported him numerous times - the last time a HA Warden came to his door and was standing outside for ten minutes before the idiot realised he was there (because he couldn't hear the doorbell over the drums)

The basically told the HA Warden to F off and that he is a drum tutor and can make as much noise as he wants between 7am and 11pm. The HA told him that wasn't true but was just told to F Off. I will also point out, this idiot is not a drum tutor. It is just him smacking the drums as hard as possible to annoy people (we have had major issues with him in the past so he tends to do it when my parents at at home or when they have company). Someone obviously told him to say he is a tutor thinking they won't do anything. Clearly he didn't think that by saying that he is also saying he runs a business from home (breaking tenancy agreement) and means he is claiming benefits illegally as he claims JSA.

Anyway, the drumming continued after the HA visit so my parents spoke to the HA and were rather peed off to find out what since then someone else had been to see the idiot and once again he had fobbed them off with claiming to be a drum tutor - so he has been told he can continue to play the drums but must put mufflers / silencers on the drums.

He isn't using mufflers or silencers and the drumming is just as bad.

What are the options - I assume just to go back to the HA and say he isn't complying or can we go to Environmental Health?

It wouldn't be so bad if he was considerate but he plays for anything between 3 and 6 hours a day and he really just smacks them. He also has the windows wide open so it is even worse.

Everyone around here is sick of him and it needs to stop because it is unbearable - so loud if he starts and you are watching TV even on the loudest setting you can't hear - it is like he is in the same room as you!

He isn't the type of person who is just going to comply and stop playing so much / use the mufflers / silencers so I have no idea what the HA can do short of actually removing the drums - and we know he would just replace them / get something else that produces loud noise.....:mad:

londonsurrey

My experience of HAs is that try not to do too much if they don't have to.
All complaints should be sent in writing and logged, preferably with a signature on receipt. All complaints should request a reply in writing.

Don't bother with the phone call route - it's too easy for them to deny/"lose" all these complaints.

cabbage

There will be a clause in his tenancy agreement not to cause a nuisance to his neighbours so he is breaking that term. He could be evicted but its a long process. As the above poster says, keep banging away (sorry couldn't help it) away at HA. Put all complaints in writing. Get other neighbours to complain in writing too.

They can confiscate the drum kit too.

Keep at it!

jackyann

get everyone you can to inform both HA and local Environmental Health Dept. every time they are upset by the noise, and log this (not everyone will want to bother, but it is worth the effort). Whether or not others do, your parents (or you on their behalf) should do this.

Take the log to your local councillor (whichever council is responsible for housing) and/ or your MP.

Say in any correspondence that you are sorry to bother them, you have no idea why this person seems so intent on causing upset & distress.
Don't get in to a discussion about whether he is or isn't a tutor / claiming JSA - that really isn't your business and will muddy the waters. The only issue at present is the noise. His attitude may become an issue, but best to leave that with the HA / Env. Health if possible.

Yorkie1

In addition to the points above, make a detailed log of when the noise occurs.

Edit to add: of course, a drum tutor will have regular pupils at regular hours ... so his irregular hours should help rebut the story if required at a later date, as well as being evidence for the noise complaints to the HA and EH.

Savvy_Sue

You can also go to Environmental Health, and TBH I'd do that AS WELL as logging all the incidents for the HA.

floss2

Call your local council tomorrow, and ask to speak to their noise abatement team. They will probably call out to visit your parents & witness the drumming as above an acceptable level.

They will very likely leave dairy sheets to be completed - do these for every occasion as they can be used as evidence in an eviction.

It may be that the team only work evenings or weekends now (this is the case in my local authority anyway due to cuts), but the call should be logged & diary sheets issued anyway.

Another option is to go to the next Police & Community meeting & raise it there (look on your Police website for details) or call the local neighbourhood policing team & ask for a home visit to discuss excessive noise from the neighbour....

Fire_Fox

This should have been reported to Environmental Health and a noise diary kept in the first instance, they have far more powers than any landlord private or social. They can serve a noise abatement order which is backed by the courts. Reporting to EH also give the Housing Association evidence if they write to the tenant about breaching the tenancy agreement or choose to evict. The more separate written complaints there are to EH the better.

The police do not deal with noise complaints any more, you can report abuse or threats tho.

sassyblue

What's your local MP like? If he/she's any good write to them. And what about the police too, not 999 obviously.

Like his drums, keep banging away at the council, HA and whoever else you can, if you and your neighbours complain to all and sundry too he will get moved on sooner rather than later.

My parents and their neighbours have had to do that and it worked eventually, it took a few months but once things were in motion the people were moved out. What about your local paper too.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

If he can play non stop for six hours without something dropping off, he's likely to be a professional musician/tutor. It's very physical, you see.


He may be annoying, and asking him nicely to put practice pads on the skins may or may not work - but one drummer who stops by 11pm is a hell of a lot better than a family of seven with drug and alcohol problems that fight constantly.

It must be hard, I know I was driven to desperation by my old neighbour running a tumble dryer all night on her balcony 3 foot away from where she knew my bed was, vacuuming at 3am and her son coming in from his part time job at a nightclub at 4am on his moped, parking it up underneath my window. Had there been no noise after 11pm, there just wouldn't have been an issue for me. Other people complain about the elderly couple next door who are a bit deaf, so keep their telly on full blast and still complain that they can't hear it because somebody else is making noise.


I'm lucky. My neighbour is out when I'm at home practising.

kimbyanne

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

If he can play non stop for six hours without something dropping off, he's likely to be a professional musician/tutor. It's very physical, you see.


He may be annoying, and asking him nicely to put practice pads on the skins may or may not work - but one drummer who stops by 11pm is a hell of a lot better than a family of seven with drug and alcohol problems that fight constantly.

It must be hard, I know I was driven to desperation by my old neighbour running a tumble dryer all night on her balcony 3 foot away from where she knew my bed was, vacuuming at 3am and her son coming in from his part time job at a nightclub at 4am on his moped, parking it up underneath my window. Had there been no noise after 11pm, there just wouldn't have been an issue for me. Other people complain about the elderly couple next door who are a bit deaf, so keep their telly on full blast and still complain that they can't hear it because somebody else is making noise.


I'm lucky. My neighbour is out when I'm at home practising.

He is definitely NOT professional. He plays for they length of time but stops for like 10 minutes and then starts up - it can be quite random. I know what good drumming sounds like and he is just smacking it.

A log has been kept and we are going to call Environmental Health tomorrow. Also going to speak to HA again and send a letter to local MP.

Thanks